BIG TEN EXPLAINS TIMING, REVIEW PROCESS FOR MICHIGAN’S HAIL MARY WINNER
Hours after No. 16 Michigan’s last-second win over Western Michigan, the Big Ten Conference shared a statement on social media on Saturday night explaining the controversial decision that one second remained on the clock.
After the game initially was ruled over when quarterback Bryce Underwood’s Hail Mary flew out the back of the end zone, the call was changed after review, giving the Wolverines one final play which Underwood turned into a 47-yard completion to JJ Buchanan for a 13-12 victory.
While the Big Ten replay center’s audio discussion during the review was not shown on the broadcast, the Big Ten shared the audio and accompanying video feed of the review, which appears to show Western Michigan safety Micah Davis touching the ball while out of bounds with one second left on the clock.
“As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling,” the conference’s statement read.
Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher also released a statement in the wake of the stunning conclusion, stating that he reached out to the Big Ten for an explanation on behalf of Western Michigan and that he was satisfied by the response.
“I commend Western Michigan for an outstanding effort and a well-played game, and I offer my congratulations to Michigan,” Steinbrecher’s statement said. “I also appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Big Ten office and its prompt response in reviewing the play and providing the requested clarification.”
The Big Ten officiating crew that presided over Saturday’s season opener for both teams was not made available postgame to a pool reporter.
In the immediate aftermath, Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor, while admitting that he hadn’t yet seen the replay, said that multiple people had told him that “the game was over” before the Hail Mary.
“We can’t control whether there was a second left on the clock or not. We went out the first time, we defended perfectly the Hail Mary situation,” Taylor added. “I know when I looked up at the clock it was past zeros before we touched it. I knew they’d review it.
“I wasn’t worried about our guys defending it the second time.”
New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham, after escaping what would have been a shocking loss in his debut, put it more bluntly.
“We got in the end zone on the first drive of the game and the last play of the game,” he said in his postgame interview on the NBC broadcast. “Not much in between. Not much good happening, but we’ll get better.”
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NO. 11 LSU ROLLS UP 644 YARDS IN LANE KIFFIN’S DEBUT, CLOBBERS CLEMSON
Sam Leavitt rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another, Dilin Jones rushed for two scores and No. 11 LSU’s defense dominated in a 51-10 whipping of Clemson in the season opener for both teams Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
The game started nearly two hours late because of a weather delay, but once it got under way it didn’t take long for former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s debut at LSU to turn into a celebration. Leavitt, a transfer from Arizona State, passed for 230 yards in less than three quarters, and he and Jones each rushed for 113 yards as LSU totaled 309 yards on the ground.
Overall, LSU outgained Clemson 644-145 and gained a school-record 37 first downs in the most lopsided loss in Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s 19 seasons.
Christopher Vizzina began his fourth season at Clemson by making his second career start and passed for just 83 yards with an interception that Jordan Ross returned 30 yards for a touchdown. Freshman Tait Reynolds replaced Vizzina late in the second quarter and passed for 22 yards before Vizzina returned in the fourth quarter.
LSU’s first possession of the second half ended with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Leavitt to Winston Watkins Jr., who finished with seven catches for 110 yards, producing a 38-3 lead. Jones’ 12-yard scoring run on the hosts’ next possession pushed the lead to 44-3 at the end of the third quarter.
Landen Clark replaced Leavitt and threw a 30-yard scoring pass to Phillip Wright III. David Eziomume ran 11 yards for Clemson’s only touchdown to complete the scoring late in the fourth quarter.
Clemson’s Nolan Hauser and LSU’s Scott Starzyk matched 49-yard field goals early in the first quarter.
Jones rushed for a 1-yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead before Ross made his pick-six for a 17-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Leavitt ran 8 yards for a touchdown and 13 yards for another as LSU built a 31-3 halftime lead.
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BEAR BACHMEIER, NO. 14 BYU THROTTLE UTAH TECH
Bear Bachmeier threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 14 BYU to a 63-7 victory over Utah Tech in Provo, Utah, on Saturday night.
Bachmeier also ran for a touchdown while playing only the first half for the Cougars. BYU (1-0) faced little resistance from the Trailblazers in all three phases. The Cougars rolled up 521 total yards and averaged 7.7 yards per play. They also forced four turnovers and held Utah Tech to only 52 total yards in the first half.
BYU has not lost to a team outside the FBS ranks since 1960.
The Trailblazers (0-2) have been outscored 117-7 over their first two games and have allowed at least 50 points in back-to-back contests for the first time since 2024. .
CJ Tiller threw two interceptions before being benched early in the second quarter. Backup quarterback Bronson Barben threw for 115 yards and an interception.
Therrian Alexander III snagged an interception at the Utah Tech 32 on the game’s first play. His takeaway set up a 9-yard run from Legend Glasker off a fly sweep that put BYU on the board less than two minutes into the game.
It set the stage for a dominant half that followed.
BYU put the game away early in the second quarter after turning back-to-back turnovers into touchdowns.
BYU’s Tausili Akana recovered a fumble at the Utah Tech 30 after Tiller mishandled a snap with 31 seconds left in the first quarter. Glasker found the end zone again two plays later, racing 26 yards for the score after reeling in a short pass. Evan Johnson then intercepted Tiller at the BYU 35 on Utah Tech’s ensuing drive. His takeaway set up a 9-yard scoring run from Preston Rex five plays later.
BYU eventually built its lead to 56-0 with 12:30 left in the third quarter. The Cougars scored on the opening play of the second half when Cannon DeVries returned a kickoff 100 yards for his team’s seventh touchdown of the game.
Utah Tech running back Ace Chatman ended the shutout with a 1 yard scoring run with 4:45 to go in the third.
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NO. 8 TEXAS A&M DOMINATES MISSOURI STATE IN EVERY ASPECT OF GAME
Marcel Reed went 21 for 30 for 233 yards, a trio of transfers had strong team debuts and No. 8 Texas A&M steamrolled Missouri State 50-0 on Saturday in College Station, Texas.
Reed threw touchdown passes to Isaiah Horton and Mario Craver and subbed out early in the fourth quarter with a 40-0 lead. Rueben Owens II led the Aggies (1-0) with 77 rushing yards on 17 attempts while teammates Terry Bussey, Jamarion Morrow and Carsyn Baker all scored rushing touchdowns.
Horton, a transfer from Alabama, finished with a game-high 76 receiving yards on four catches. Texas A&M outgained Missouri State 505-67.
The Aggies’ defense terrorized Skyler Locklear and the Bears (0-1), holding them to eight yards in the second half. Anto Saka (Northwestern) recovered a fumble in his Texas A&M debut and Ryan Henderson (San Diego State) added a fourth-down stuff and a strip sack.
Locklear completed 8 of 17 passes for 30 yards.
Horton’s first catch as an Aggie was a 15-yard touchdown to complete the hosts’ first drive of the season.
Later in the first quarter, Texas A&M punted from near midfield but Jmariyae Robinson muffed the ball, leading to a mad dash to the end zone. Navonn Barrett booted the ball out of bounds and prevented an Aggie touchdown, but his illegal kicking flag resulted in a safety.
After they settled for David Olano’s 28-yard field goal to make it 12-0, the Aggies capitalized on a fumbled pitch by Missouri State. Saka pounced on the ball, and five plays later, Reed found Craver for a 12-yard touchdown strike and a 19-0 halftime score.
Texas A&M rolled 70 yards in 11 plays on the opening drive of the second half, with Bussey taking a sweep left for a 10-yard TD run. The Aggies went 71 yards in 14 plays on the ensuing drive and Morrow plunged in from the 2.
It was 33-0 after three quarters, and freshman Baker tacked on another touchdown on his first career touch. Then Henderson forced Locklear to cough it up, and on the very next play, Brady Hart tossed a 15-yard score to a wide-open Aaron Gregory.
Freshman Asher Murray made a 47-yard field goal later on for the 50-point margin.
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WILL HAMMOND STEERS NO. 12 TEXAS TECH PAST ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Will Hammond threw for 298 yards and Texas Tech’s defense held visiting Abilene Christian to 194 total yards Saturday night in a season-opening 33-10 win in Lubbock, Texas.
Hammond completed 26 of 33 passes with a touchdown and an interception, enabling the 12th-ranked Red Raiders to gain 471 total yards. But it wasn’t a perfect performance for the offense, which settled for three field goals after getting inside the Wildcats’ 20-yard line three different times.
John David Black hit 18 of 32 passes for Abilene Christian for just 119 yards with an interception. Black absorbed three sacks, which helped limit the Wildcats (0-2) to only 75 rushing yards.
Texas Tech’s offense looked primed for a big game in the first quarter. It started the season with a crisp 75-yard drive that Quinten Joyner capped with a 14-yard touchdown run with 12:14 left in the quarter.
On their next possession, the Red Raiders churned out a 15-play, 87-yard march that chewed up more than seven minutes. J’Koby Williams finished it with a 5-yard scoring jaunt with 2:24 left and the lead was 14-0.
But Abilene Christian, an FCS opponent that lost its season opener at Lamar 21-14, stiffened up defensively for the game’s remainder. Texas Tech didn’t score again until Stone Harrington’s 23-yard field goal with 1:38 left in the half.
The Wildcats managed to get on the board with seven seconds remaining via a 41-yard field goal from Brandon Perez. That got them within 17-3 at halftime.
But Abilene Christian simply couldn’t sustain drives against a more athletic, deeper foe. The Red Raiders used Harrington’s leg to play add-on during the second half. He converted a 28-yarder at the 13:03 mark of the third quarter, four plays after Black tossed an interception.
Harrington kicked a 33-yarder with 7:36 left in the period to cap a 10-play drive and added a 45-yarder with 1:52 on the clock to make it 26-3.
Hammond connected with Malcolm Simmons on a 64-yard touchdown pass with 2:45 remaining in the game. Alex Broome returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for the Wildcats’ only touchdown.
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KAMARI MOULTON HAS CAREER DAY, NO. 22 IOWA RIPS NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Kamari Moulton rushed for a career-best 183 yards and scored two touchdowns on just 11 carries to help No. 22 Iowa steamroll Northern Illinois 40-0 on Saturday afternoon in Iowa City in the season opener for both teams.
Hank Brown earned the start at quarterback and completed 12 of 20 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown for the Hawkeyes. Runner-up Jeremy Hecklinski was 7-of-16 passing for 76 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Evan James returned a punt for a touchdown for Iowa, which outgained Northern Illinois 507-120 and had a 27-7 edge in first downs. Tony Diaz had seven catches for 84 yards and one touchdown and Xavier Williams also had a scoring reception.
Jalen Macon started at quarterback for Northern Illinois and completed 4 of 10 passes for 17 yards. Taron Dickens also played for the Huskies and was 9-of-14 passing for 96 yards and one interception.
Yassine Falke had an interception in the end zone for NIU.
The Huskies recorded their initial first down of the contest when Iowa’s Rashad Godfrey Jr. was flagged for pass interference with 4:09 left in the third quarter.
The Hawkeyes kept the identity of their starting quarterback a mystery all week. Brown took the field for the game’s first drive and moved Iowa 75 yards on 10 plays. The touchdown came when Brown hit Diaz on a 6-yard pass.
Moulton took over for the next two scores. He ran through a big hole for a 50-yard touchdown with 6:46 left in the first and added a 37-yard scoring scamper to make it 20-0 with 4:10 left in the quarter.
Hecklinski was the quarterback when the Hawkeyes made it 27-0. He tossed an 8-yard scoring pass to Williams with 7:40 left in the second quarter.
Brown was back to drive the Hawkeyes to field goals of 45 and 34 yards from Caden Buhr to make it 33-0 at the half.
Iowa had a 372-24 edge in total offense at the break.
The Hawkeyes had a chance to push the lead to 40, but Hecklinski was intercepted in the end zone by Falke with 5:17 left in the third quarter.
Less than three minutes later, Iowa got that touchdown when James fielded a punt and navigated 77 yards to the end zone.
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NO. 2 OREGON RALLIES, AVOIDS UPSET BY BOISE STATE
Dante Moore threw three touchdown passes, including the tiebreaking scoring pass to Dakorien Moore, and No. 2 Oregon rallied from a 10-point deficit to record a 34-27 victory over Boise State on Saturday afternoon at Eugene, Ore., in the season opener for both teams.
Dante Moore completed 28 of 37 passes for a career-best 378 yards, while Jeremiah McClellan caught six passes for 150 yards and a touchdown for the Ducks. Dakorien Moore had six catches for 93 yards, including the go-ahead 62-yard score that put Oregon ahead with 7:51 left in the game.
Jordan Davison rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown, Jamari Johnson caught a scoring pass and Evan Stewart had eight catches for 72 yards for Oregon.
Maddux Madsen was 15-of-29 passing for 181 yards and three touchdowns for Boise State. Cam Bates, Sire Gaines and Matt Wagner had scoring catches for the Broncos.
Oregon outgained Boise State 497-274 while running its home nonconference winning streak to 39 games. Kellen Moore-led Boise State in 2008 was the most recent nonconference road team to win at Autzen Stadium.
The winning Moore-to-Moore connection came when Dakorien caught the ball just around the Boise State 42-yard line. Two Broncos collided and he had an easy run down the field for the winning points.
Oregon struggled early, but scored a touchdown just before halftime and carried the momentum into the third quarter. Gage Hurych booted a 26-yard field goal to tie it at 17 with 11:30 left in the third.
Nearly six minutes later, the Ducks took their first lead at 24-17 as Dante Moore connected on an 8-yard scoring pass to McClellan to complete a crisp six-play, 87-yard drive.
The Broncos responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive. On fourth-and-three from the Ducks’ 7, Madsen threaded a scoring pass to Wagner to tie the score with 1:20 remaining in the period.
Oregon moved back ahead when Hurych kicked a 43-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter. But Boise State answered on Canaan Moore’s 35-yard field goal to tie it at 27 with 8:45 to play.
Earlier, Madsen tossed a 13-yard scoring pass to Bates as the Broncos traveled 75 yards on 11 plays on the first possession of the game.
Oregon knotted the score on Davison’s 1-yard scoring run with 11:17 left in the first half.
Stewart fumbled a punt less than a minute later and Arthur De Boachie recovered to give the Broncos a short field.
On the next play, Madsen tossed a short pass to Gaines, who broke a tackle at the 30 and raced down the left side to complete a 38-yard scoring play with 10:14 left in the half.
Boise State increased its lead to 17-7 when Canaan Moore booted a 29-yard field goal with 2:48 remaining.
Dante Moore tossed a 27-yard scoring pass to Johnson with 19 seconds left to move the Ducks within three.
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NO. 18 PENN STATE CRUSHES MARSHALL IN COACH MATT CAMPBELL’S DEBUT
Rocco Becht threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns as No. 18 Penn State opened the Matt Campbell era with a 45-0 romp over Marshall on Saturday at University Park, Pa., in the teams’ season opener.
Becht, who arrived with Campbell from Iowa State, completed 13 of 18 passes without an interception, getting Penn State off to a quick start with touchdown passes on two of the Nittany Lions’ first three possessions.
Koby Howard caught six passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, while Iowa State transfers Brett Eskildsen, Ben Brahmer and Zay Robinson each caught scoring passes.
Quinton Martin and Cam Wallace contributed 6-yard touchdown carries in the second half for the Nittany Lions, who amassed 487 yards compared to 147 for the Thundering Herd.
After going 72-55 in 10 seasons at Iowa State, Campbell replaced 12-year head coach James Franklin, who was fired in the middle of a disappointing 7-6 season in 2025.
Marshall struggled to generate offense against a defense led by Caleb Bacon and Tony Rojas, who each had a sack and combined for five tackles for a loss.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson completed 17 of 25 passes for 102 yards and rushed for 30 yards for Marshall. Toby Payne added eight catches for 55 yards.
Marshall’s deepest penetration was to the Penn State 34 and ended with a wide 52-yard field goal attempt to close the first half.
Penn State played a nearly flawless first quarter, taking a 17-0 lead before Marshall got a first down.
Ryan Barker put the Nittany Lions up with a 38-yard field goal to cap the opening possession, then Howard made it 10-0 when he scored on a crossing route that covered 42 yards.
Eskildsen followed, taking a wide receiver screen to the end zone on a 25-yard play that gave Penn State a 17-0 lead with 4:49 left in the first quarter.
The Nittany Lions used an 87-yard drive, highlighted by a 42-yard reception by Howard, to take a 24-0 lead. Brahmer, a 6-foot-7 tight end, capped the march with an 8-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone.
On Penn State’s first possession of the second half, Robinson scored on a 39-yard touchdown reception to boost the lead to 31-0.
With that, Campbell replaced Becht with another Iowa State import, Alex Manske, who completed passes on his first four snaps to fuel a 54-yard touchdown drive.
It was the teams’ third meeting and first since 1930.
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NO. 3 GEORGIA BREEZES PAST TENNESSEE STATE IN OPENER
ATHENS, Ga. — Gunner Stockton completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns to help lead No. 3 Georgia to a 63-3 rout of visiting Tennessee State on Saturday.
Stockton appeared in just five drives, leading Georgia (1-0) to touchdowns on each of them. Nate Frazier rushed for three touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who outgained the Tigers 660-109. Backup quarterback Ryan Puglisi threw for 109 yards and a touchdown as Georgia won its 13th consecutive season opener.
Daylin Lee threw for 62 yards for Tennessee State (0-2), which was paid $600,000 for the trip to Athens.
Frazier took the third play from scrimmage 48 yards for the game’s first touchdown, before the junior running back went untouched for a 14-yard rushing score on the next drive to double Georgia’s lead with 10:08 left in the first quarter.
After Tennessee State’s second three-and-out, Elyiss Williams stamped an efficient three-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown reception.
Stockton hit Talyn Taylor for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 28-0 with 2:08 remaining in the first.
PJ Dean’s sack of Lee on the final play of the first punctuated a quarter that saw Georgia outgain the Tigers 228-0.
Stockton’s 14-yard connection with Jaden Reddell extended the margin to 35. Taylor and Reddell’s touchdowns were the first of their respective college careers.
Puglisi relieved Stockton for the Bulldogs’ sixth drive.
Georgia’s lone mistake of the first half was being penalized for having two No. 51’s suit up for the same play. The flag wiped out Peyton Woodring’s 38-yard field goal. The snap was botched on the next attempt and the Tigers took over.
The turnover on downs helped Tennessee State compile its lone scoring drive, as Preston Hurless’ 37-yard field goal cut the deficit to 35-3 with 2:08 left in the half.
Frazier barreled in for his third score with 10:56 left in the third, pushing the lead to 39. On the next drive, Puglisi found freshman Kaiden Prothro for a 16-yard touchdown, giving Georgia a 49-3 advantage.
Third-stringer Ryan Montgomery floated a perfect 54-yard touchdown toss to Jeremy Bell, marking the Bulldogs’ eighth touchdown drive in 10 tries. Jae Lamar ran for an 11-yard score to help Georgia eclipse the 60-point mark for the first time since beating Florida State 63-3 in the 2023 Orange Bowl.
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MANNING TIES CAREER HIGH WITH FOUR TD PASSES AS NO. 5 TEXAS ROLLS PAST TEXAS STATE
Arch Manning threw for 305 yards and a career-high tying four touchdowns in two and a half quarters of action as No. 5 Texas rolled to a 59-7 win over Texas State on Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas in the teams’ season opener.
Manning, making his 17th career start, connected on 20 of his 27 passes and suffered one interception as the Longhorns (1-0) dominated throughout to set the table for next week’s titanic clash against top-ranked Ohio State.
Texas’ running back tandem of Hollywood Smothers (70 yards on 10 carries) and Raleek Brown (34 yards on 11 carries with two TDs) combined for 104 yards on the ground, and wide receiver Ryan Wingo caught seven passes for 121 yards with a touchdown, all in the first half.
Quarterback Brad Jackson led the Bobcats (0-1) with 177 total yards, 150 of those on 15-of-23 passing.
The Longhorns drove 56 yards in seven plays on their opening possession to a 6-yard TD pass from Manning to Cam Coleman and then added to the lead on an 8-yard shovel pass for a touchdown from Manning to Wingo on the following drive.
After an extended march by Texas State ended with a missed short field goal attempt, the Longhorns drove 80 yards in 13 plays with Brown producing a 13-yard TD run that expanded the margin to 21-0.
Texas’s defense got into the action when Graceson Littleton scooped up a fumble by the Bobcats’ Taji Atkinds and sprinted 59 yards for a score and a 28-0 lead with 5:56 to play before halftime.
Texas State ended the shutout when Davian Jackson ran four yards for a touchdown with 3:59 to play until halftime after a 32-yard scamper by Brad Jackson that set the table.
The third quarter belonged to the Longhorns. Manning passed 20 yards to Coleman for a score on their first possession and then 13 yards to Smothers for a second TD with 7:55 left that sent the majority of Texas’ starters to the bench. Brown added to the lead with a 21-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes still left in the quarter.
Texas’ Gianni Spetic had a 48-yard field goal and James Simon rumbled seven yards for a TD in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring in the runaway win.
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CONNER WEIGMAN, NO. 23 HOUSTON OUTLAST OREGON STATE
Conner Weigman threw for 305 yards and accounted for two touchdowns as No. 23 Houston held off visiting Oregon State 33-20 on Saturday in each team’s season opener.
Weigman hit 20 of 30 passes and tossed an interception as the Cougars rolled up 533 total yards. Amare Thomas caught a game-high eight passes for 133 yards and a score. Makhi Hughes added 98 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Braden Atkinson helped keep the Beavers in contention, completing 29 of 48 passes for 376 yards and a score. He spread his completions among nine receivers, with freshman Jesse Legree catching five passes for 136 yards and a touchdown.
The Weigman-Thomas connection opened the scoring at the 8:13 mark of the first quarter. They hooked up for a 31-yard touchdown to cap Houston’s first drive of the season.
Oregon State, playing its first game under new coach JaMarcus Shephard, answered less than two minutes later when Atkinson scored on a 3-yard run and took a 7-6 lead following the extra point.
The Cougars took the lead for good on their next possession with a 42-yard field goal from Jonathan Dimas. They made it 16-7 with 6:27 remaining in the first half when Re’Shaun Sanford II peeled off a 56-yard touchdown run, then took a 19-7 advantage into the break when Dimas converted a 32-yard field goal with 35 seconds left.
Houston appeared to be on the verge of blowing it open when Hughes plunged in from the 1 for a 26-7 cushion with 6:40 left in the third quarter. But the Beavers worked their way back into contention behind Atkinson.
Atkinson capped an 89-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Legree that made it 26-13 with 44 seconds left in the third. Then Atkinson directed a 75-yard march that ended with a 4-yard scoring jaunt by AJ Newberry to trim the margin to six points with 9:02 remaining.
However, Weigman sealed the outcome with a 1-yard touchdown run at the 5:01 mark.
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JEREMIAH SMITH SNAGS 2 TDS AS NO. 1 OHIO STATE ROUTS BALL STATE
Julian Sayin passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Jeremiah Smith, as No. 1 Ohio State crushed Ball State 56-3 on Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio.
Sayin completed 21 of 25 while adding a fourth touchdown on the ground. Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards while Devin McCuin added six catches for 97 yards and a score.
Ohio State (1-0) produced three scoring drives of 90-plus yards and another of 83 while limiting Ball State (0-1) to 165 total yards.
Keldric Luster hit 18 of 33 for 89 yards and one interception for the Cardinals while Brody Boehm booted a 54-yard field goal with 1:17 left in the first half to account for the visitors’ points.
In preparation for their showdown on Sept. 12 at No. 5 Texas, the Buckeyes displayed a potent passing game as expected. The running game took longer to show progress as Bo Jackson’s 65-yard touchdown run on the Buckeyes’ first drive of the third quarter, which made it 35-3, nearly doubled their first-half total of 35 rushing yards.
On the next series, Ja’Kobi Jackson (no relation) ran 49 yards for a 42-3 lead. Each Jackson contributed 83 yards on the ground.
The Buckeyes went three-and-out on their first possession of the season when Sayin, who completed 77.0% of his passes last season, misfired on his first two throws. After that, Sayin and Smith took over to build a 28-3 halftime lead.
Smith opened the scoring with a 48-yard catch at the goal line. McCuin followed with a 17-yard TD catch before Sayin tucked the ball under pressure and ran 3 yards to make it 21-0 with 12:08 left in the half.
Following the Ball State field goal, Sayin spotted Smith at the back of the end zone and he tapped both feet inbounds with 10 seconds left for the 28-3 lead at the half.
Five-star freshman receiver Chris Henry Jr. capped the scoring with a 15-yard catch from Tavien St. Clair with 1:55 left in the game.
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JOSH HOOVER THROWS 4 TDS IN DEBUT, NO. 6 INDIANA DEFEATS NORTH TEXAS
Josh Hoover threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns in his Indiana debut as the No. 6 Hoosiers rolled to a 52-16 season-opening victory over North Texas on a sweltering Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.
The fifth-year transfer from TCU, who suffered a cut on his nose in the second quarter that had blood dripping down his face and chin strap, hit 13 of 16 passes directing Indiana’s surgical attack on a day when temperatures on the turf reached 155 degrees per Fox Sports.
Charlie Becker caught two touchdown passes and Turbo Richard rushed for two scores as the defending national champions improved to 28-2 during the Curt Cignetti era.
Tayven Jackson, who started six games for Indiana in 2023-24, completed 22 of 28 passes for 192 yards and one interception in Neal Brown’s debut as North Texas head coach. Jahiem White rushed for 61 yards and a score while catching seven passes.
Hoover needed just one throw to register his first touchdown pass as a Hoosier. Facing third-and-5 from the North Texas 15, he fired a back-shoulder pass to Nick Marsh that the Michigan State transfer caught with his right hand while falling to the turf. The officials ruled it an incomplete pass, but the call was reversed to give Indiana a 7-0 lead just 84 seconds into the season.
North Texas changed the game’s tempo by holding the ball for 7:44, but the Mean Green turned it over on downs at Indiana’s 38.
The Hoosiers transitioned to a more methodical approach, too, but made it pay off. Richard, a Boston College transfer, capped a 10-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown blast to push Indiana’s lead to 14-0 with 13 seconds left in the first quarter.
North Texas burned another 5:25 and came away with a 47-yard field goal by Dominic De Freitas.
Indiana responded with its third touchdown in as many possessions. Hoover closed a 51-yard drive by rifling a high slant that Becker skied to grab for a 9-yard score and a 21-3 lead with 6:46 to go in the half.
The Hoosiers carried a 24-6 lead into halftime even though the Mean Green owned the advantage in total yardage (173-153) and time of possession (19:22 to 10:38).
North Texas slashed its deficit to 24-13 on the second half’s opening drive as White broke tackles for a 9-yard touchdown run.
Indiana wasted little time answering as Hoover exploited man-to-man coverage against Becker, who flew down the right sideline and outfought the corner for a 35-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-13 Indiana at the 9:56 mark of the third.
After De Freitas booted his third field goal, Hoover fired deep over the middle to Davion Chandler for a 42-yard score to give Indiana a 38-16 advantage with 12:51 left. Richard added a 1-yard blast with 5:41 to go and backup quarterback Grant Wilson sprinted 43 yards for a score.
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NO. 13 ALABAMA LEANS INTO GROUND GAME, TOPS EAST CAROLINA 48-10
Daniel Hill accounted for two of Alabama’s five rushing touchdowns as the 13th-ranked Crimson Tide opened their season with a dominant 48-10 win over East Carolina on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Keelon Russell, EJ Crowell and Trae’Shawn Brown also added rushing scores for Alabama, which delivered a ground statement after finishing last season 125th nationally in rushing yards per game (104.1).
The Crimson Tide’s 227 rushing yards and five scores were more than they had in any game against an FBS opponent last season.
Russell, making his first career start, finished with a team-high 86 rushing yards. He also completed 17 of 29 passes for 249 yards. Ryan Coleman-Williams caught five passes for 130 yards, reaching 100 yards receiving for the first time since last September.News content provider
East Carolina quarterback Mitch Griffis completed 10 of 16 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jeremiah Melvin had four receptions for 60 yards, while Tyler Johnson had a 68-yard reception for the Pirates (0-1).
Alabama scored on all five of its first-half possessions while opening up a 38-7 lead by halftime. It held a 307-99 yardage advantage in the first half.
After the Crimson Tide settled for a field goal from Conor Talty on their opening drive, they led 17-0 just 12 seconds into the second quarter after rushing TDs by Crowell and Hill.
The Pirates got on the board on the following possession with Jeremiah Melvin’s 1-yard touchdown catch, set up by Johnson’s explosive play.
Alabama responded with Hill’s second touchdown and then made it 31-7 two plays later on Yhonzae Pierre’s 27-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Crimson Tide put an exclamation point on their first half with Russell’s 3-yard scamper with 14 seconds left.
East Carolina scored the only points of the third quarter on a 34-yard Noah Perez field goal set up by a turnover.
Alabama scored on the opening play of the fourth quarter on Brown’s 2-yard run to open a 45-10 lead. Talty then closed the scoring with his second field goal with 6:15 left.
Alabama’s defense held the Pirates to 2 net rushing yards and didn’t allow a conversion on any of East Carolina’s eight third downs.
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